To perform my experiment, I first constructed my testing apparatus and two lifters, one with sides 200mm long and one with sides 300mm long. I secured my first lifter to the testing apparatus with monofiliment. Using alligator clips and wire leads, the stripped copper wire was connected to the positive terminal and the foil to the negative terminal of a power supply capable of supplying approx. 30kV. Beginning at 0kV and increasing the voltage by 2kV increments, I measured for each voltage the deflection (degrees), current (uA), and the power (voltage times the current). When my lifter began to deflect more than 2 degrees per 2kV increment, however, I began to take measurements every 1kV.
I discovered that larger lifters are more efficient than smaller lifters, and also have a larger thrust to weight ratio. I also found that increasing the spacing between the foil and wire of the lifters increases the efficiency. Another interesting phenomenon that I discovered was that, contrary to popular belief, the thrust does not correlate with the voltage, but rather with the current.
